The useful joy of doing the conversation badly at first after 16 tries

Would love to hear how other people handle this. I am especially curious about the version that works on a tired weekday, not just on an ideal Sunday.

My current rule is simple: if it takes less than 8 minutes to prepare, I am much more likely to keep doing it.

I know this is a tiny sample size, but after 10 attempts the pattern is pretty clear. When I keep the setup simple, I actually follow through.